Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-21

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The younger sister of one of your friends is thinking about spending a year studying abroad as part of her university course. You did this recently, and she has asked you about your experience.

Write a letter to your friend's sister. In your letter

• tell her where you studied during your year abroad

• describe what you learnt about the country you studied in

• explain why your year abroad was helpful for your studies

Begin your letter as follows:
Dear........,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Aman

How are you doing and my friend sahij as well? I am writing to you about how it went for me to study in foreign university

When it comes to choosing a foreign university, was bit confused.Then, I decided to get enrolled in University of Toronoto in Canada which has been regarded one of top universities in the world.Fortunately, i got scholarship of $3000 from university due to having higher grades in major subject

It has been a great experience in canada as I got to know about new culture, places and food by meeting people from different ethnicities. I also learnt how much respect people show to each other here which involve like opening a door for someone which is not common in our country

Studying abroad for one year has been really helpful for me as i got hands on experience in IT which helped me to get my first field job in multinational company named samsung.Also, I made good connections

Have a nice day

Respectfully

Manpreet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You cover all three requested points: you identify the University of Toronto in Canada, describe cultural experiences and respectful behaviour, and explain that practical IT experience helped you obtain a job. These details make the letter relevant and give the reader useful information. However, some points are only briefly developed. For example, the description of the country focuses on culture and manners but says little about what you learned about daily life or the country more broadly. The study benefit is also asserted rather than explained in detail: clarify what skills or knowledge you gained and how they supported your university studies, not only your later employment. A clearer, more consistently friendly letter style would also strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The information follows a generally sensible order: you introduce the purpose, describe the university and country, then explain the benefit of studying abroad. Paragraph breaks help separate these topics, and links such as “When it comes to” and “Also” guide the reader. However, the opening moves abruptly from asking about Aman and Sahij to the purpose of the letter, and the final point about making connections is left unfinished. Some transitions feel mechanical, while the long first paragraph combines several ideas that would be easier to follow if separated. To improve progression, use a clear paragraph for each task point and connect the details within each paragraph more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “different ethnicities,” “hands on experience,” “scholarship,” and “multinational company.” These choices help make the account specific. There are also some inaccurate or unnatural expressions and spelling slips, such as “foreign university,” “got to know about new culture,” “field job,” and “Toronoto.” The phrase “which involve like opening a door” is particularly awkward and makes the example less clear. Aim for more natural collocations and precise wording, for instance, describe gaining practical experience in IT or learning about local customs. Check spelling and word forms carefully, as these errors are noticeable even though the overall meaning remains understandable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including the clause beginning “as I got to know” and the relative clause “which helped me to get my first field job.” This shows some ability to connect ideas, but control is inconsistent. Examples include the missing article in “was bit confused,” the sentence fragment-like opening “How are you doing and my friend sahij as well?”, and agreement problems in “which involve.” Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in lowercase “i” and missing spaces after full stops. These errors sometimes make the reader pause. Practise accurate articles, subject–verb agreement, and sentence boundaries, then proofread each sentence while retaining a mix of sentence structures.

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